Due to the earthquake, and the damage done to various campuses throughout the city, school was postponed yet another week and now we have time to explore the continent a little bit. We made a pretty last-minute decision to travel to Buenos Aires and found a very cheap flight so we booked a hostel for four days and took off on Wednesday.
The Santiago airport is a bit of a disaster, but I was so impressed with how well-run everything appeared to be. Even though the check-in and gates were in tents, everything was running smoothly and we had no problems getting onto our flight. We arrived in Buenos Aires within two hours after a very comfortable ride on the plane. The taxi to our hostel was about a 45 minute ride and we shared it with another American girl we met who lived right next to our hostel. After we settled in and made reservations for dinner we started to explore the city. The girls I was with wanted to do a lot of shopping so I mostly just tagged along and played personal shopper.
That night for dinner we went to a restaurant called La Cabrera upon the recommendation of our friends who have been to BA before, including one girl we were traveling with. It's a good thing we made a reservation because by the time we got there at 8:30 there was already a line out the door, and that is quite early by Argentine standards. When we sat down at the table we were greeted with fresh sourdough bread, roasted garlic and olive tapenade. I felt like I was back in California! We ordered a bottle of wine, two appetizers and two steaks. The appetizers were a baked wheel of cheese with pancetta and peppers (OMG) and a heart of palm, avocado and tomato salad with balsamic vinagrette. The steak I shared was called Churrasquito and it had bacon wrapped around it. It was cooked absolutely perfectly and came with an array of delicious side dishes including pumpkin puree, lentils, more olive tapenade and a bunch of dips and sauces. It was one of the most incredible meals I've ever had, and the really incredible thing is that in California the meal easily would have cost $300-$400, but it was actually less than $100. Argentina is rightly famous for their steak.
The next day we walked around for hours. More shopping, but also checking out the city center. We saw the Madres, who are the mother's of those who disappeared or were tortured and killed during Pinochet's reign. They have been marching in the square for years and there are very few of them left. We also saw the Pink House, which is the Argentine White House. That afternoon we saw Alice and Wonderland in Spanish. It was a great movie! And I was surprised at the amount I was able to understand. That night we had a light dinner so that we could enjoy a fun night out.
Friday was more shopping and exploring but we got a late start because in South America to stay out until 6AM is perfectly normal. We had lunch at a restaurant called Kansas because we were craving some American baked potatoes, then afterward we headed to the races! Argentina is also famous for their horses and we walked to a place called the Hipodromo and watched four horse races. We bet on two, but lost both times. It was a lot of fun and in the last race one of the jockeys got thrown and the horse still finished the race and didn't even come in last. That was a really fun experience and is something I've never knowingly had the opportunity to do in the states so I really enjoyed it.
Saturday was our last day and we were determined to visit La Recoleta, which is a famous cemetery with lots of ornate sculptures and it's also where Evita Peron is buried. Unfortunately, as is often the case with a large group of girls, all day it was nearly impossible to organize ourselves and so by the time we arrived it was closed. We did get to see inside the church, which was beautiful, and explore the Artesan fair next to it so it certainly wasn't a total loss. That night we met up with some of Jen's Argentine friends and got free entrance to a big club. We stayed out until 6AM again, and had to leave for our flight at 8AM. Mistake! We made it on time but boy were we tired, and our cab ride was miserable. For some reason the driver refused to go above 40MPH even on the freeway. But we made it, on time and everything.
I really enjoyed Buenos Aires and I hope to go back again, but it's certainly good to be home in Santiago. School starts in a week, we hope. I signed up for three classes today and I'm very excited about it. Pictures in the next post!
